Flipping The Classroom

The Flipped Classroom is probably the most exciting and most significant change taking place now – it challenges the entire way of thinking of the learning industry for the past 200 years. And the concept is just so, so simple – its amazing. When you ‘flip’ a classroom – homework takes the place of classwork, and classwork takes the place of homework. You first do your homework – read up the lesson or watch your teacher’s lecture online – and then you come to school – where you are helped by teachers with discussions, questions, exercises, and application of concepts – the stuff you really need help with is done in school. The classroom is for interaction and engagement – and you get all your concepts clarified here, instead of the classroom being the lecture zone.

What the “conventional “ method currently prescribes is “discuss and get introduced to the topic in the classroom “ and your homework is about “practice “ and clarifying the concept …which most of the time you don’t get around to doing. To many, now, it really seems to make a whole lot of more sense and seems a lot more interesting if we read a new chapter at home to an interactive discussion and a q/a session about the same in the classroom –more exciting for the teacher & definitely more exciting for the students. Now lectures can be watched or read about at home – created by your own lecturer herself or any other expert or even written and then discussed in the class.

The idea is not 100% new of course – top schools and institutions have been practicing it partially for a while …. A teacher her- self expressed her excitement to- wards the proposition because she no longer has to give the same lecture again and again (gives it once and puts it online) – instead every class is a new experience and interaction. Its more exciting for students too – the classroom is more interactive and interesting, and they do questions and practice there instead of at home or in tuition. The demand for tuitions itself shows the need for such a system –bydoing the homework first on a topic – practice and clarification time will be created in the classroom –and hence will eliminate the very need for tutions. If the worry is that students won’t adhere well to a flipped classroom….I am happy to share that the concept has been tried and tested and has shown some amazing results!